The site looks different now, with a streamlined menu featuring links to our bandcamp and facebook pages. Both of these pages are brand new, and are part of an effort to revitalize and restart Rough Draft.

Over the course of 2012 apathy, distractions, and work prompted a neglect of Rough Draft. Most of the bands on our “roster” stopped playing, or evolved. But RD was never so much a label as a node, an interstice of the creative endeavours of a small group of people, that is, an archive. We hope to reinvigorate ourselves and to make available new music and new projects.

We have some long-term goals being planned at the moment, including a compilation and the forthcoming release of Red Medicine’s final album.

But there is new music to share. Soon The Waldos’ new, and sadly, last record will be released. Butcher Boy have recorded and released their finest, most beautiful album yet. Get that record here, at a pay-what-you-want price, and help support them. They’re currently wrapping up a national tour, and it looks like they’re only going to get bigger and better (like a boss battle).

Also, RD has put out its first thing in a long time, a lo-fi split of acoustic music from Billy Carr (Waldos, Pamola) and Matt Houston (Red Medicine, Pamola). This is the first of what we hope to be a small series of collaborative splits between friends.

Also, Dan Smith (Red Medicine) has got a new band featuring people from CUSS, Huak, and Honey Clouds. They’re called An Anderson, and they are mighty. Check out a video of their live set (thanks to Mike at Brass Cankles) or grab a sampler of their forthcoming record:

Tour plans are under way for everybody for Summer 2011. Once those get finalized, dates will be posted on the ‘Shows’ page, which I think will be renamed to ‘Tour’ (it’s too hard to keep all the shows updated).

Everybody has been playing lots of shows, working on lots of music. The Waldos have shared the first 5 tracks from what I understand will eventually be an LP (they have more new songs to record, etc etc). Check out what they have so far here. They’ve been receiving some much deserved attention for it, and for their rock-solid live sets. Here’s a video from Brass Cankles (Mike Cunnane from Huak, Rattlesnakes, Sunset Hearts):

Butcher Boy have recorded a new record, to be released at some point soon. In the meantime, check out a live record that came out of no where, recorded at The Oak & the Ax!

Pamola have started playing again, with a whole batch of new material. We’ll shoot to record it for the long-put-off Pamola LP (I think we’ve decided not to do anything with last summer’s recordings). Here is another video from Brass Cankles, this one of Pamola playing a new song during a set at Poland Street two nights ago.

Lastly, Red Medicine have finally released their EP that was recorded last May. A lot of work has gone into this, especially the packaging. You can either download the record for free or buy a physical copy for 5$.

Poland Street, the residence of Butcher Boy, half of The Waldos, and most of Pamola, has been putting on shows several times a month for a while now, with a diverse array of touring and local acts. The environment is fun, warm, and friendly. A few upcoming shows have been posted in the shows section, so drop by if you can, and be respectful.

Rough Draft has a new family member: The Waldos. These guys are nuts. Billy from Pamola and Mark from Butcher Boy augment the sick, jazzy, breadwinnery work of Justin Glover and Elliot McInnis. Their old two-piece demo has been linked on their band page. The four-piece has recently recorded a five song EP that is still being worked on and may see release sometime in the future. The rough mixes for it are unbelievable. We are beyond stoked to be able to count The Waldos as a member of our family.

Work on Pamola’s EP continues on its slow, lazy pace. I’m making no promises about when this will finally be done. Hopefully before summer.

Red Medicine’s new EP, complete with bass and vocals, is more or less done, with artwork done by Thor. Once we figure out packaging, and get the stuff all assembled, we’ll post photos, information for anyone interested in buying, and a link to download the music for free as well.

Check out the shows coming up at Poland Street and The Castle in Mexico, ME.

The album that we recorded for Butcher Boy back in February is ready. It’s been done for a while now, but it wasn’t until recently that everything has been put together, album art scanned, and files uploaded. It’s really good. The Butcher Boy set has already changed and evolved since these jams were documented, but the record remains a really exciting, energetic, and splendid collection of fierce and passionate country punk.

Red Medicine has also recorded a small EP, back in May. It will consist of previously captured songs but with the addition of bass and vocals, and is so far sounding pretty damn nice. Expect a final product within the next two months, or so.

Pamola is planning on recording and documenting everything they have within the next few weeks, and that process will likely continue intermittently for the rest of the summer months. Expect a couple of small releases containing this material in the future.

This weekend, catch most of the Rough Draft family at the Bridgton Community Center in Bridgton, Maine, playing a show on the 12th of June, starting around 6:00 pm. Pamola, Red Medicine, Butcher Boy, and Patter Cubs will be playing.

The following weekend, Pamola will be in Brewer on the 20th, playing at the Worker’s Center, along with The Besides, We Are The Vulture (ex-Joseph Merrick, incredible hardcore), and the great Daniel Striped Tiger on tour. That show is sure to be a good one.

Here be the Butcher Boy recorded, entitled “Turn the Devil Away”. Artwork done by Thor, who is also working on artwork for the upcoming Red Medicine EP. Please take it. And if you want a physical copy, contact us.

Some good shows have happened. Last Tuesday, Red Medicine played a set with some new material at the Café on the UMF campus. The performance was good, and some folks in the crowd most probably enjoyed it. Currently, we (Dan and I) are working on more new songs, thinking about bass players, and contemplating how to add some words to the tunes. There are plans to record some sort of EP by the end of this semester, which will have the new material plus whatever old material we want to record. More information on that as it comes along. Here’s a picture:

On Friday, Eyes Like Fire’s final show was a blast. Butcher Boy were excellent, and Jakob Battick snapped some very good photos. They are one of the funnest bands to watch. Captain Hollow are a band on their way to doing some really incredible things, and I can’t wait for them to finish the record they’ve been working on. Pamola had a good set too. We were pretty happy with how things went, and had a really great time, though the 40 minute set was pretty exhausting. And Eyes Like Fire’s final set was truly immense. It was long, packed with most every song they’ve ever played, and yet they kept pushing forward through to the end. It was ELF at the most intense, passionate, and best I’ve ever seen them, which makes it even more upsetting that they’ve called it quits. At the end, Mark smashed a guitar, and as he flung the neck, disconnected from the body, over his head, the metal bridge, still connected to the strings and thus the headstock, was pulled along and slammed into the back of his head. It was nuts. And there was a Piñata, filled with candy, and toys. Dylan Martin wrote a review of the show that you can read here. Jakob Battick took this excellent photo of Pete during the Butcher Boy set. I can’t wait to see the rest of the photos.

On Saturday, Pamola opened a night at Slainte, followed by Britney’s Spear, Huak, and then Jakob Battick and Co. Britney’s Spear were incredibly fun to watch. Honest, thoughtful hardcore music with terrific interplay between the two guitars and a tendency to switch into danceable, energetic sections at a moment’s notice. During the end of the set, Alan, one of the Guitarists/Vocalists, somehow climbed to the top of the set, and finished the song while sitting on top of the wall that encloses the performing space. I bought their EP for 2$, and it’s really fucking good. There is a link on their Myspace page that, if you follow, will lead you to where you can download it for free. Please do. I’m sure we’ll see them in Maine again in the future. Bands like them are refreshing. Huak, too, were incredible. I saw them over a year ago with Mission of Burma at Space in Portland, and that was a damn good show. However, last Saturday just seemed so much more intense. Maybe because I was closer, and Slainte is a small venue, forcing people to be close. They played mostly new material that they plan to record soon, and I can’t wait to hear that when it’s done. Really nice guys, amazing music. Very exciting. Jakob Battick’s set, too, was excellent. Every time I see him and his band, the music gets louder, and more intense. However, the quiet parts of the songs remain very quiet, and the intense dynamic swells, from whispers to thunderous crashes, give his music a real cathartic aspect. Such a good night. So much good music. Please check out all these bands, and buy their records, and talk to them after a show. Here are a couple pictures Jonathan’s brother took of Pamola during our set.